A tragic day in February told the story of a horrific accident in Sweden which killed all four band members and their manager.
Musicians were quick to pay their respects and saw them as a highly emerging band with a promising future ahead of them. Recently Coldplay’s Chris Martin continued this tribute at Glastonbury:

“We’re going to create Viola Beach’s alternate future for them and let them headline Glastonbury with their song.”

Coldplay then performed ‘Boys That Sing’.
Their eponymous album – released by friends and family as a tribute – has topped the UK album charts. The families of Viola Beach released a statement:

“The tragedy that ended Craig, Jack, Kris, River and Tom’s lives in Sweden and the pain and sense of loss will never leave us. By sending the Viola Beach album to Number 1 the public have sent out an important message to the world.
“The tragic circumstance that met Viola Beach and their manager Craig that fateful night in Sweden will not now define their lives. What will now define their lives and what they will be remembered for, forever, is the music they were so passionate about making together.”

Chief executive of the Official Charts Company, Martin Talbot, said:

“It is hard to think of an album more people were rooting for than the Viola Beach release – nor a success which has felt so bittersweet. We’re delighted that it has taken the No 1 spot, but it is an awful tragedy that Jack, Kris, River, Tomas and Craig are not here to see themselves take a place in the annals of British music.”